Prudent Pet Insurance Review 2024

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With its flexible basic coverage options—including an accident-only plan—Prudent Pet Insurance may be the best pet insurance for senior pets, particularly those already dealing with pre-existing conditions that wouldn’t make a more comprehensive plan worth the cost.

While Prudent Pet has a more standard accident and illnesses plan, it lags just a little behind the competition, with exam fee coverage in a separate add-on, no coverage for parasites, and annual exams as a precondition for coverage.

Prudent Pet Insurance Review: Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
24/7 telehealth line	6-month waiting period for knee and ligament issues (though may be waived)
5-day accident waiting period	No coverage for parasites like fleas and ticks
End-of-life benefits	Annual pet health and dental exams required for coverage
Treatment for behavioral conditions	Exam fee coverage only available via add-on plans
No upper age or breed restrictions
Accident-only coverage option
75% of claims processed in 24 hours, 95% within 7 days

Who is Prudent Pet Insurance best for?

Because virtually no pet insurance company will cover pre-existing conditions, pet insurance isn’t always worth it for pets enrolling as seniors.

But Prudent Pet does a good job opening the door to older cats and dogs. The company has two levels of accident and illness plans—one that’s more bare bones with fewer accoutrements—and an accident-only plan, in case you want something even more stripped down.

These lightweight plans can help pet parents get their money’s worth by cutting out some of the things that likely wouldn’t have been covered anyway, so your pet can still be covered for some of the worst eventualities without drowning you in premiums.

Which pet owners may want to look elsewhere?

Pet parents looking for one simplified, comprehensive plan with everything covered may not be satisfied with a Prudent Pet Insurance plan.

Unlike most pet insurance providers, Prudent keeps its accident-and-illness exam fee coverage separate in a special exam-fee rider. (Wellness exams, per usual, would be partially covered in a separate wellness add-on.)

A Prudent Pet accident and illness plan also doesn’t account for other treatments that some providers cover, like treatments for parasites like fleas and ticks.

Busy or financially strapped pet parents who may skip an annual exam or a regular dental cleaning for their pets may also want to look elsewhere—Prudent Pet denies coverage to pets who do not regularly keep up with their annual health appointments.

Prudent Pet Insurance: A Brief Overview

Deductible Options	$100, $250, $500, $1,000
Reimbursement Options	70%, 80%, or 90%
Annual Limit	$10,000 or unlimited
TrustPilot Rating	4.8/5
Founded	2018
Phone Number	888-820-7739
Waiting Periods	5 days for accidents; 14 days for illnesses, 6 months for orthopedic issues
Sample Policy	https://www.prudentpet.com/sample-policy/
Headquarters	Downers Grove, IL
App	No
Telehealth	Yes
Claim Reimbursement Timeline	75% of claims processed in 24 hours, 95% within 7 days, up to 30 days to reimbursement
State Availability	All 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Coverage Available: Standard Plans, Accident-Only, and Wellness Add-On

Prudent Pet Insurance has several different options available to pet parents—two different accident and illness plans, one accident-only plan, and two separate add-ons for veterinary exams and wellness coverage.

Here’s an idea of what the standard accident and illness plan—known as the Essential Plan—will cover under Prudent Pet:

Hereditary and congenital conditions
Accidents like bites and broken bones
Emergency care, hospitalizations, and surgery
MRIs, CT scans, bloodwork, and X-rays
Prescription medications
Illnesses like cancer
Up to $250 per year for treating behavioral conditions

Prudent’s Ultimate accident and illness plan is the provider’s most comprehensive plan. It covers everything in the Essential plan along with:

Up to $1000 per year for treating behavioral conditions
Boarding fees
Pet loss due to theft or stray, if not found within 30 days
Advertising and reward fees
End-of-life benefits, including cremation and burial
Reimbursement for travel and accommodation vacation costs if your pet needs life-saving treatment (and your vacation costs can’t otherwise be recovered)

What isn’t covered under Prudent Pet Insurance?

Breeding costs
Cosmetic procedures
Experimental treatments
Obedience training
Bilateral conditions
Prescription diets
Organ transplants
Flea, tick, and heartworm treatments

Prudent Pet’s accident-only plan

For pet parents who may want a more bare-bones plan—such as senior pet parents who may not get as much value out of a standard plan when they have pets with pre-existing conditions—Prudent Pet offers an accident-only plan. It covers issues such as:

Bite wounds
Injuries to teeth and mouth
Ingestion of foreign objects
Emergency care
Diagnostic tests related to accidents
Prescription medication due to an accident

Two available add-ons: wellness and vet exams

Prudent Pet policyholders can choose to add one of two separate riders to their plan for an additional cost.

Wellness plans: Like many other providers, Prudent Pet offers preventative care coverage in the form of a wellness add-on, which may help pet parents with costs they can plan for, like vaccinations, dental cleanings, spaying/neutering, etc. There are three different tiers available, as broken down in the chart below.

Type of Care	Low	Medium	High
Wellness exam (limited to 2 per policy term)	$30	$50	$60
Rabies Vaccine	$25	$30	$35
Bordetella or Lyme Disease Vaccine	$0	$0	$35
DHLPP Vaccine	$25	$30	$35
Heartworm or FELV Screening	$25	$30	$35
Wellness Blood Screening	$0	$0	$35
Fecal Exam	$25	$30	$35
Microchip	$25	$35	$45
Health Certificate	$30	$40	$50
Dental Cleaning or Spaying/Neutering	$0	$40	$60
Deworming	$25	$30	$35
Total Reimbursement:	$210	$315	$460

Vet exam coverage: Prudent Pet also offers an add-on for veterinary exam coverage, which isn’t included in a standard or accident-only plan. Under this add-on, Prudent Pet will reimburse you for vet exams or consultation fees for eligible accidents or illnesses. For vet exam coverage, pet parents may pay between $5 and $12 per month.

Does Prudent Pet Insurance cover spaying and neutering?

Like most pet insurance, Prudent Pet doesn’t cover spaying and neutering in their traditional plans. However, between $40 and $60 of the procedure may be reimbursed if you have the medium or high tier of a wellness add-on, as listed in the chart above.

Customizations: Deductibles, Reimbursement, and Coverage Limits

Prudent Pet Insurance offers plenty of coverage limits and deductible options, including an unlimited coverage option. This may make it easier for pet parents who need some flexibility to make their policy fit their needs and budget—particularly when they’re trying to decide between a pet insurance plan and a pet savings account.

Pet parents should note that the $10,000 coverage limit applies to the accident-only and Essential plans, while the unlimited coverage applies to the Ultimate plan.

Deductible options:

$100
$250
$500
$1000

Reimbursement amounts:

Coverage limits:

$10,000
Unlimited

Pre-Existing and Hereditary Conditions

Like virtually all pet insurance providers, Prudent Pet does not cover pre-existing conditions.

Hereditary conditions, ones that are passed down genetically, are covered as long as no signs are present before the policy starts and the waiting period is over. Similarly, congenital illnesses, defects a pet is born with, are also covered if no signs present themselves before the policy begins and the waiting period is over.

Waiting Periods

Prudent Pet Insurance has a waiting period of five days for accidents, 14 days for illnesses, and six months (180 days) for orthopedic issues. Its waiting period for accidents is shorter than many other providers, and 14 days for illnesses is fairly typical.

Pet parents may want to look closely at the six-month waiting period for orthopedic issues, as this could be a long time to not have coverage, particularly if you have an older pet or a breed prone to orthopedic concerns.

While the orthopedic waiting period may be waived if your pet receives a clean bill of health from the vet within 30 days of the start of your policy (and medical records are free of any orthopedic pre-existing conditions), some providers have much shorter waiting periods for cruciate ligament problems, so pet parents will want to look closely at their options and weigh what’s important to them.

Age Limits and Breed Restrictions

Any dog or cat must be at least 8 weeks old to enroll in a Prudent Pet Insurance policy, but there are no upper age limits or breed restrictions.

Dental Coverage

Different facets of dental care are covered by different Prudent Pet policies as long as pet parents ensure that their pets have their teeth regularly examined and cleaned. It’s important to note that if your pet’s teeth aren’t regularly cared for, dental coverage may be denied.

Both accident-only and accident and illness plans cover teeth extractions from injuries. An accident and illness plan will also cover extractions due to illness, along with other standard treatment options for dental diseases.

Routine dental cleanings are covered under a wellness add-on, though if a cleaning is administered as part of an extraction, that may be covered under a standard plan.

Coverage for Holistic and Behavioral Therapies

Prudent Pet has some coverage for holistic therapies that are administered or prescribed by a veterinarian, like acupuncture for pain management. Also available are different levels of behavioral therapy coverage, depending on which tiered accident and illness plan you go with. The base-level plan starts with $250 reimbursement, while the comprehensive plan covers up to $1,000 per year in vet-recommended behavioral therapies.

Other Features

The second tier of a standard accident and illness plan offers mortality benefits under certain circumstances. Up to $250 for cremation and burial expenses may be reimbursed to you, along with the price you paid for your pet, with no copay or deductible applied to the coverage.

There are a few exclusions that apply—one worth noting is that benefits won’t apply if your dog 8+ years of age or cat 10+ years of age dies because of an illness.

Customer Experience

Trying to navigate the world of pet insurance is no easy feat, which is why it may be important for many parents to have a policy with a provider with strong customer service.

Here’s a high-level overview of Prudent Pet’s customer service.

How to get in touch

To contact Prudent Pet, pet parents can use an online contact form on the Prudent Pet Insurance website, email info@prudentpet.com, call 888-820-7739, or send snail mail to:

2211 Butterfield Road
Downers Grove, IL 60515

How to submit a claim

Policyholders can submit a simple claims form along with vet receipts via email, mail, fax, or through Prudent Pet’s online pet portal, which may be accessed via phone or computer. It’s worth noting that Prudent Pet doesn’t have its own separate app for policyholders, so pet parents will access their own portal via the Prudent Pet website.

How to receive your reimbursement

Prudent Pet policyholders can submit their banking information in their online portal so they can be reimbursed once their claim is processed. If they would prefer, they can also be reimbursed via paper check, which may take a little longer to receive.

How to cancel a policy

Prudent Pet allows policyholders to cancel a policy at any time, which may be done via phone or in writing through email or physical mail. If you decide to cancel within the first 30 days of your policy and haven’t submitted any claims, the company will fully refund your money.

Prudent Pet Insurance rankings and reviews

Prudent Pet has an excellent rating on TrustPilot with a 4.8/5. It also has an A+ Better Business Bureau rating with an average of 5/5 customer reviews (though it’s worth noting there is currently only one customer review on the BBB site). In their TrustPilot reviews, many policyholders praised Prudent Pet’s friendly and great service, while a few lamented a lengthy claims processing time.

Discounts

There are a couple of different discounts Prudent Pet policyholders can take advantage of. The company offers a 10% multi-pet discount, as well as a 10% discount if you’re an active or retired member of the military.

How We Reviewed

When reviewing pet insurance coverage, Rover takes many factors important to pet parents into consideration, including breadth of coverage, customizability, waiting period convenience, customer service experience, and more. We take a close look at customer satisfaction scores on TrustPilot and Better Business Bureau, while acknowledging that each pet parent has their own experience that may not apply to every consumer.

The above information is provided in cooperation with Prudent Pet Insurance. If you have specific questions about their policies, please reach out to Prudent Pet Insurance (see how to get in touch).

Review: Prudent Pet Insurance Shines for Senior Pets